Pages

Friday, April 25, 2008

Cleopatra's Tomb

An article in AKI (Andnkronos International Egypt) reported that the tomb of Egypt's great Queen, Cleopatra, and her lover, Marc Antony will be unearthed later this year.

Egypt: Tomb of Cleopatra & Her Lover to be Uncovered"Zahi Hawass, prominent archaeologist and director of Egypt's superior council for antiquities announced a proposal to test the theory that the couple were buried together. Hawass said that the remains of the legendary Egyptian queen and her Roman lover, Mark Antony, were inside a temple called Tabusiris Magna, 30 kilometres from the port city of Alexandria in northern Egypt.

Until recently access to the tomb has been hindered because it is under water, but archaeologists plan to drain the site so they can begin excavation in November. Among the clues to suggest that the temple may contain Cleopatra's remains is the discovery of numerous coins with the face of the queen."

Much has been written about this spectacular Egyptian Queen, and much also speculated. Here was a woman who managed to captured the affections of two leading Roman Generals, and still rule a powerful country. And yet, in the end, rather than surrender and become yet another "trophy" of the Roman Triumph, she took her own life. And even now, the manner of her death still intrigues us all, and still leaves many questioned unanswered.

Hawass hopes that by opening the tomb, we will know, once and for all, if two of the world's greatest lovers were buried together for all eternity.